The present invention is based on a pressure relief valve used on a packaging container. More specifically, the invention relates to using relatively stiff support members which prevent the valve from conforming to the shape of the packaging and blocking the flow of gas through the valve.
Exposure to oxygen may harm many food products. Therefore, organic products that are vulnerable to oxygen, such as coffee, are packed in tightly sealed containers to prevent spoilage through exposure to oxygen. Unfortunately, freshly roasted coffee products often produce carbon dioxide gas that increases the pressure within the package causing the package to expand.
The problem solved by this invention pertains to products placed in larger packages varying in size from 1 to 10 pounds. When larger packages, made of flexible material, contain roasted whole bean or ground coffee, the package tends to expand due to the carbon dioxide gas released from the coffee beans. Since there is more coffee contained in larger packaging, after the roasting/packaging process, the soft flexible packaging becomes bloated due to the expended carbon dioxide gas, taking the shape of a round, cylindrical, pillow-shaped object.
Valves currently on the market have flexible support structures that tend to take the shape of the bloated package, thus, decreasing or entirely preventing the flow of carbon dioxide or air through the valve. The existing valves on the market, such as the valve disclosed on U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,881, do not utilize a stiff support body. Thus, the valve disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,881 will conform with the shape of the bloated packaging. Moreover, the valves currently on the market will eventually cease to function when the packaging becomes bloated since the support structure and the valve diaphragm conform with the rounded shape. The valve diaphragm cannot open which in turn prevents gas from flowing through the valve as intended. Essentially, the current valves do not function as they should when a package becomes bloated because the valve conforms with the curved, cylindrical shape preventing the valve from releasing carbon dioxide created by the roasted coffee. The packaging will eventually fill with gas and burst.